AceShowbiz -

Vigilante Frank Castle is ready to load his guns again this year. Lionsgate Film as the company producing "The Punisher 2" revealed in its new press release issued on Wednesday morning (August 1) that production on the flick has been set for an October start date with "Rome" star Ray Stevenson starring under Lexi Alexander's direction.

Marks the third screen incarnation for the Marvel Comics' anti-hero, the project reportedly will be made for an R rating and take place in New York where the titular character runs up against a mobster. Nick Santora, Kurt Sutter, Matt Holloway, and Art Marcum penned the script while Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige is producing alongside Avi Arad and Gale Anne Hurd.

Words on Stevenson and Alexander's inclusion have been circulating on the net since last week due to claim posted by Latino Review, which also stated that the villain would be Jigsaw aka Billy "The Beaut" Russo, a brutal assassin for the Maggia crime family.

"Ray was the first name I wrote down after I saw 'Rome,' because he managed to keep the audience caring about him despite being the most violent guy," Feige remarked.